A Painted Knife Block

About a year and a half ago I was at a 31 party at someone's house and noticed that her knife block was painted the same sage green as her walls.  It looked so cute.  I complimented the hostess on it and she said that she got the idea off of Pinterest.  So when I got home I looked it up and there were all sorts of takes on the painted knife block.  I thought it was cute and was a "maybe" project for me to do.

I'll be honest.  I actually never even liked knife blocks.  I hate clutter on my counter tops.  I don't want to have a jar of utensils sitting out (no offense to those who do).  I don't want 8 billion kitchen gadgets.  I get that some things need to be out for function, but overall I like simple and clean lines.  Cluttered counter tops make me twitch. :) 

But we got a knife block as a wedding gift.  We didn't register for it.  Someone just decided it would be a great gift.  (That someone later told us that they found it on "super clearance" at Kohl's.  Not tacky at all!).  Since I had it, I put it on our counter and used it.  Turns out I love it.  I use it multiple times a day. Every. Single. Day.  It is very convenient.

So when we moved into a house with an all cream kitchen I knew that my knife block would be getting a makeover.  I wanted to add color and I knew this would be a perfect and simple way to do so.

I started off by removing the knives and cleaning the block.  Then I lightly sanded it with a sandpaper block that I already had.  I wiped it off again to get all of the wood dust off.  Then I got to painting.

After the first coat

In the past I had read a few tutorials.  Although it seemed like there was no right or wrong way.  Some people sanded. Some didn't. Some people primed.  Some didn't.  Some people used spray paint.  Others used wall paint. There was just all sorts of ways to go.

I have learned that I am not quite patient enough to use spray paint.  And I wanted something that would hold up to being used in a kitchen.  I decided to give this paint a shot.  It was for outdoor use and could be used on wood.  Why not?  It was about $1.  All of the other supplies I already had.

The hardest part of the whole project was waiting for the paint to dry.  The bottle said to use 1 to 2 coats.  I did 2.  You can still see the wood grain through the paint, but it is pretty red.  I don't think another coat would have made it look any different.  Also, I knew that I would still be able to see the wood grain and I was OK with that.  I didn't bother trying to hide the name on the block either. Some people went to great lengths to cover that up on theirs (spackle, medallions, etc.).

I am going to get some sort of protective coat for it.  I have a protective spray, but it is a matte finish and we are wanting something glossy.  But the entire project cost me a dollar plus whatever the protective finish will cost (which should be less than $5).

I've seen ones with vinyl on the front.  Some have the first initial of the family's last name.  Others have words.  I could do that, but for now I am happy with it just being red.

The knives contrast nicely!

Let there be color!